Our ladies Bible Study Group recently read the book “Everybody Always “ by Bob Goff. One of the chapters in the book was titled “My Bucket”.  In this chapter he describes how he found a child’s book about a bucket. The book changed everything for him. He said “We will become in our lives what we put in our buckets.”  He purchased a metal bucket and began carrying it with him everywhere he went. People would ask him if he had a bladder problem. Bob let them know that the bucket was used as a reminder to fill his life with patience every day.

We can either fill our bucket with good stuff, such as love, and we’ll become love, or we can fill our bucket with negative stuff such as pride, selfishness or impatience, and become a difficult person to get along with. The hardest one for me is the last one mentioned.  Impatience. (Just ask my family). Lol.

Galatians 5:22 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.”

I think my bucket had a hole in it.  Somewhere, and I’m being honest here, I think I have lost pretty much every one of those items. I tend to get frazzled and lose sight of what is really important.

Galatians 6:8-10 “For He who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. “

Are you carrying things in your bucket that keep you from enjoying life and serving God? Things like fear, hate and or resentment? If you are, what would you trade them for? I wonder if we actually carried the negative things around, how much heavier the bucket would be to lift?  If love were like water in your bucket, think how every time you moved, the water would spill out. Possibly on to someone else.

It makes me think of back in the time when there were no fire trucks or hoses and your neighbor’s house or barn caught fire. Everybody would form a line and pass the buckets of water to quench out the fire. What an impact we could have if we used our buckets together and started spreading love around using that method.

Why not this week go and buy yourself a bucket. I purchased mine from a local hobby store. Try taking the bucket wherever you go and see what happens. I am going to keep mine at my desk to help remind me of what it stands for. I might even keep an extra one in my car.

So again I’ll ask, What’s in your bucket?

Karen Pollard